Necktie supporting rack



June 5, 1956 K. 5. BEHLEFELDT 2,748,953

NECKTIE SUPPORTING RACK Filed June 22, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2/ 23 /8 /6 1 J'.. 3 6 a I"; 9 111;. 29 /7 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNE Y5 June 1956 K. G. BEHLEFELDT NECKTIE SUPPORTING RACK 2 Sheets-Shea t 2 Filed June 22, 1953 IN VEN TOR. k 3

United States NECKTIE SUPPORTING RACK Knut G. Behlefeldt, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 22, 1953, Serial No. 363,696

1 Claim. (Cl. 211-413 This invention relates to a rack or holder for supporting neckties.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Ser. No. 216,578, filed March 20, 1951.

An important object of the invention is to provide a necktie rack adapted to individually support and hold a plurality of neckties in a compact space, and to permit individual neckties to be easily placed in position thereon and removed therefrom.

Another object is to provide a necktie rack that normally holds the neckties in a compact space but which may be readily manipulated to position to display all the neckties for selection and permit easy removal of a selected necktie.

A further object of the invention is to provide a necktie rack that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture so that it may be profitably made and sold at a low price.

Another object is to provide a necktie rack comprising two relatively movable frames, each adapted to support a plurality of neckties and normally supported in folded position closely adjacent each other to hold the neckties in a compact manner, but relatively movable to an extended position to permit easy placing of neckties thereon and removal of a selected necktie therefrom, A particular object is to provide such a device in which the two frames are detachably connected together, so that one of them may be disconnected from the other and used separately to hold a smaller number of neckties as may be desirable, for example, when travelling.

A further object is to provide a necktie supporting rack whose principal parts may be readily made of plastic and which may advantageously be made wholly or principally of two pieces of molded plastic.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a necktie rack in accordance with my invention, comprising two frames pivotally and detachably connected together by hinge means;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation, taken from the right end in Fig. 1, showing the two frames in folded position;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 44 in Fig. l, with one of the frames moved to extended position;

Fig. 5 is a partial horizontal section on line 5-5 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section on line 6-6 in Fig. 1.

The device shown in the drawings comprises a rearwardly disposed first frame F1 and a forwardly disposed second frame F2, each of said frames having relatively large overall horizontal and vertical dimensions in the plane of Fig. 1 and being relatively thin in a direction from front to rear, that is, in a direction transverse to the plane of Fig. 1. The front and rear faces of each frame are substantially flat, and the main necktie-supporting portions thereof are preferably of substantially uniform thickness so that said front and rear faces extend in substantially parallel closely spaced planes.

The main necktie supporting portion of the rear frame F1 comprises an elongated lower arm 1 extending substantially horizontally so as to support a plurality of neckties in spaced positions along the length thereof, an elongated upper arm 2 spaced above the lower arm, and an end member 3 extending upward from the lower arm to the upper arm at one end of the frame, said end memher being rigidly connected to both arms and being preferably formed integrally therewith. At its other end, the frame F1 is formed to provide a vertically extending open space or gap 4 between the lower and upper arms thereof.

The main necktie supporting portion of the front frame member F2 is of generally similar configuration, comprising an elongated lower arm 5 extending horizontally to support a plurality of neckties at spaced positions along the length thereof, an elongated upper arm 6 spaced above the lower arm, and an end member 7 extending upward from the lower arm to the upper arm at one end of the frame, rigidly connected to both arms and preferably formed integrally therewith. Said frame F2 is also formed to provide at its other end a vertically extending open space or gap 8 between the lower and upper arms.

The end members 3 and 7 preferably extend substantially vertically. The gaps 4 and 8 at the ends of the respective frames opposite the end members are of sufficient height to permit neckties to be passed therethrough easily in placing them on and removing them from the lower arms 1 and 5 when the frames are in extended position relative to each other, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The upper arm of each frame is shown as provided with a short downwardly extending portion 9 at the end adjacent the gap 4 or 8. The lower arm of each frame is provided at the end opposite the end member 3 or 7 with an upwardly extending finger 11 Whose upper end is spaced below that end of the upper arm to provide the gap 4 0r 8. Each lower arm is also provided with a plurality of additional upwardly extending fingers 12 spaced at substantially equal intervals along the length thereof between the finger 11 and the end mmeber 3 or 7. The fingers 11 and 12 provide a plurality of necktie receiving spaces therebetween, and serve to hold the neckties in properly spaced positions on the arms 1 and 5. The upper ends of fingers 12 are spaced below the upper arms of the respective frames so as to permit neckties to pass over the fingers in placing them on and removing them from the rack. Since the open end of each frame is somewhat lighter in weight than the end having the vertical end member 3 or 7, the frames are preferably arranged with their respective open ends or gaps disposed oppositely to each other, as shown, so as to balance the weight of the assembled frames equally at both sides of the mid-length thereof.

The rear frame member F further comprises a hanger portion 13 extending upward from the central portion of its upper arm, secured to said arm and preferably formed integrally therewith. Said hanger portion is provided at its upper end with a hook 14 for suspending the assembled rack from a coat hook or other support.

The device further comprises suitable hinge means pivotally mounting the front frame F2 on the rear frame F1 at a position adjacent the central portions of the upper arms of the two frames, for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis extending substantially parallel to the front and rear faces of the frames. The front frame F2. is detachably connected to the first or rear frame F1 adjacent the position of the hinge means. In the preferred construction shown in the drawings, the hinge means provides the sole means for interconnecting the two frames and for supporting the second frame on the first frame,

and is so arranged as to detachably interconnect the two frames.

In the construction shown the rear frame F1 is provided with an opening 16 extending therethrough from front to rear. Said opening is located centrally between the two ends of the frame and extends upward from a position adjacent the upper arm 2. It is shown as formed in the upwardly extending hanger portion 13. The hanger portion 13 of the frame F1 is also provided with a pair of bearing members 17, preferably formed integrally therewith, at opposite ends of the opening 16. The bearing members 17 extend forwardly and upwardly and are curved so as to provide substantially semi-circular hinge sockets or recesses 18 facing rearwardly. Hanger portion 13 is also provided with a resilient member 19 extending upwardly from the arm 2 across the lower central portion of opening 16 to a position adjacent and preferably somewhat above the level of the upper end of the bearing members 17. The resilient bearing member 19 is secured to the frame F1, and is preferably formed integrally therewith. it will be seen that the front face of bearing member 19 faces toward and is spaced rearward from the hinge sockets 18 and is located mid-way therebetween.

The second or front frame F is provided with an arm 21 extending upward from the central portion of the upper arm 6 and having two hinge pins 22 projecting longitudinally at opposite ends thereof to engage in the hinge sockets 18. The arm 21 is also provided with a rearwardly projecting shoulder portion 23 located between the hinge pins 22, in position to engage the resilient bearing member 19 when the pins are engaged in sockets 18 and thus resiliently hold said pins in said sockets. The frame F2 is further preferably provided with a manually operable lever arm 24 extending upward from arm 21 above the pivotal axis defined by hinge pins 22 and inclined forward and upward away from the hanger portion 13 of frame F1, as shown for example in Fig. 3. It will be seen that the lever arm 24 thus extends to a convenient position for manual engagement to move said lever arm rearwardly and thus effect pivotal movement of frame F2 about the above mentioned hinge axis, from a folded position adjacent the frame F1 as shown in Fig. 3 to an extended position in which the lower arms of the two frame members are spaced from each other as shown in Fig. 4.

The rear frame F1 is provided with a recess 26 extending upward from opening 16, rearward of the lever arm 24, in position to receive said lever arm when it is depressed or moved rearward by manual engagement as described above. The recess 26 is shown as formed in the hanger portion 14 of frame F1, and said hanger portion is also preferably provided with a stop member or wall 27 adjacent the rear face thereof, extending above the opening i6 and rearward of the recess 26, in position to be engaged by lever arm 24 and limit the rearward movement thereof.

in order to permit the front frame F2 to be detached from the rear frame F1 by disengagement of the above described hinge means, the hanger portion 13 of frame F1 is also provided with a pair of recesses or openings 29 extending longitudinally from the central opening 16 at opposite ends thereof. The openings 29 extend through the frame from front to rear and are located directly above the bearing members 17. These openings extend upward to a sufficient distance above the members 17 to permit hinge pins 22 to pass through said openings. To detach the frame F2, it is forced upward relative to frame F by manual engagement to dislodge the hinge pins 22 from sockets 18, the resilient bearing member 19 yielding rearward to permit such dislodging of the hinge pins from the sockets. Upon disengagement of the hinge pins from their sockets by such upward movement the hinge pins enter the openings or recesses 2Q, and they may then be moved forward out of said openings to. completely detach the two frame members from each other.

The device described above may be formed of any suitable material such as metal or plastic of suitable strength and rigidity. Preferably, each of the frames F1 and F2 including all of the above described elements thereof is formed as a single piece of molded plastic' When formed in this manner the characteristics of the plastic material are such that the bearing member 19, which is relatively thin from front to rear, has sutiicient resilience to permit it to move rearwardly and permit forcible disengagement of the hinge pins from the sockets 13 as described above, but yet has sufficient strength to resiliently retain the hinge pins in engagement with said sockets during normal use.

it will be seen that the device described above is adapted when in folded position to support a plurality of neckties in spaced positions on the lower arm of each frame, with an intermediate portion of each necktie resting on the lower arm 1 or 5 and the end portions of the necktie hanging down at opposite sides of such arm, thus holding the neckties in a compact space. By manual rearward pressure of a thumb or finger against the lever arm 24, accompanied if desired by forward finger pressure against the hanger portion 13, the front frame member F2 may be swung forward and upward about the hinge axis, as described above, from the folded or closed position shown in Fig. 3 to an open or extended position such as shown in Fig. 4.

When in this latter position, the lower arm of the front frame is spaced forwardly from the lower arm of the rear frame. All of the neckties are thus displayed to view to permit selection of any one desired, and the selected necktie may be easily removed, or another necktie placed in position on either frame, through the opening or gap 4 or 8 at one end of the frame.

When lever 24 is released, the front frame is biased by gravity to swing downward about the hinge axis to the closed or folded position in which the lower arm thereof is disposed adjacent and alongside the lower arm of the rear frame, so as to hold the neckties snugly between said arms.

If desired, the front frame may be detached from the rear frame as described above, and the rear frame with its integral hanger portion 13 may be used separately as a rack for supporting a smaller number of neckties, as during travelling.

It is to be understood that terms such as front and rear, or forward and rearward are used with reference to the position of the frames as shown in the drawings. While this position is generally preferred since the lever arm 24 is thus disposed in a convenient and accessible position for manual engagement, it will be understood that the rack may be suspended with either of the two frames disposed forward of the other frame member.

I claim:

A necktie supporting rack comprising: first and second rigid frames each having fiat front and rear faces extend ing in substantially parallel closely spaced planes and each comprising elongated lower arm extending substantially horizontally for supporting a plurality of neckties, an elongated upper arm spaced above said lower arm, and an end member integral with said arms and extending upwardly from said lower arm to said upper arm at one end of the frame; each frame being formed to provide a vertically extending gap between the lower and upper arms thereof at the other end of the frame; said first frame further comprising a hanger portion extending upward from the central portion of its upper arm and provided at its upper end with a hook for suspending the rack; and hinge means pivotally mounting the second frame on the first frame at a position adjacent the central portions of the upper arms of both frames, for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis substantially parallel to said front and rear faces of both frames; said second frame being biased by gravity to swing downward about said axis to a folded position in which its lower arm is closely adjacent the lower arm of the first frame, and being free to swing upward about said axis to an extended position in which its lower arm is spaced a substantial distance from the lower arm of the first frame; and said hinge means comprising a pair of oppositely disposed hinge pins on the second frame extending longitudinally of said axis, a pair of bearing members formed integrally with the first frame providing two concave hinge sockets positioned to receive the respective hinge pins, said first frame being formed to provide for movement of said hinge pins into engagement with said sockets and for disengagement of said hinge pins from said sockets to detach the second frame from the first frame, and a resilient bearing member on the first frame, positioned to engage a member on the second frame between said hinge pins to retain said hinge pins in said sockets, and resiliently deformable to permit forcible disengagement of said hinge pins from said sockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 148,407 Cleary J an. 20, 1948 D. 148,596 Waterman Feb. 3, 1948 2,382,459 Wollin Aug. 14, 1945 2,455,478 Grant Dec. 7, 1948 2,499,537 Stanton Mar. 7, 1950 2,589,737 Dalgleish Mar. 18, 1952 2,596,745 Waldman May 13, 1952 

